Valve constructions



Jall- 6,1959 w. F. ALLINGHAM 2,

VALVECONSTRUCTIONS Filed Feb. 20, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR.WALTER F. ALLINGHAM.

BYWJM AT TORNE Y.

Jan. 6, 1959 w. F. ALLINGHAM .VALVE CONSTRUCTIONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledFeb. 20, 1956 FIG. 3

wasp/fl) IE 0 I Ill -FIG. 4

INVENTOR. WALTER F. ALLINGHAM.

ATTORNEY.

United States VALVE CONSTRUCTIONS Application February 20, 1956, SerialNo. 566,667

2 Claims. (Cl. 137625.29)

This invention relates to an improved valve construction, moreparticularly to a valve adapted to permit reversal of the flow of therefrigerant through a refrigeration system, thus making the systemuseful for either heating or cooling.

Any refrigeration system is made in accordance with conventionalthermo-dynamic heat pump principles, employing a refrigerant circulatingin a closed system to transfer heat from one point to another. Where itis desired to cool a given area, the aforementioned closed system isarranged so that the refrigerant in flowing through said system willremove heat from this area to be cooled and convey the heat to anotherportion of the system where the heat is removed from the refrigerant.The system is provided with a compressor, at least two heat exchangecoils, and some sort of expansion means. The refrigerant in gaseous formis compressed, by the compressor and forwarded to a heat exchangecondenser.

coil where heat is removed from the refrigerant to liquefy the same. Atthis point, obviously, heat is given off by the system. Liquidrefrigerant is thereafter passed through the expansion means into theevaporator where the liquid refrigerant becomes a gas and in the processabsorbs heat from the ambient surroundings to be cooled. The gaseousrefrigerant is then forwarded to the compressor and the cycle repeated.The physical structure of both the evaporator and condenser coils may begenerally the same; it

has been found that if the flow of refrigerant through certain portionsof the aforedescribed system is reversed, the function of the coils maybe reversed so that heat will be given off at the point whererefrigeration previously took place.

It is-often found desirable to employ this reversal in operation of thesystem to provide heat in areas previously cooled. Thus, airconditioning units may be employed reversibly to either heat or cool anygiven area. Reversal of refrigerant flow through portions of therefrigeration system employed in said air conditioning unit may bereadily achieved by provision of a reversing valve which constrains therefrigerant flowing from the compressor to flow in one or the otherdirection through said system. ,As in the case of all valving, it isdesirable that the valve be relatively simple in construction, easilyoperable, and requiring minimal maintenance.

It is with the above problems in mind that the present construction hasbeen evolved which provides a reversing valve for'use in'conjunctionwith refrigeration systems permitting reversal of the flow ofrefrigerant through portions of the system thereby permitting use of thesystem either for heating or cooling of any given area. The valve hereprovided is simply controlled either manually or automatically, and isso constructed as to substantially eliminate any locking action in anyone position.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide ahermetically sealed, mechanically operated valve construction.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel valve constructionparticularly adapted for use in conjunction atent Q" 2,857,237 PatentedJan. 6, 1959 housing to be moved so as to provide independent pas-vsageways through the housing dependent upon its movement from a firstposition to a second position. A control rod connected to a bellows sealis arranged in connection with said sliding valve member to control themovement thereof within the housing. The bellows seal permits motion ofthe'sliding valve member while maintaining a hermetic seal.

The specific constructional details of several preferred embodiments ofthis invention and their mode of operation will be made most manifestand particularly pointed out in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a refrigeration system equipped witha reversing valve embodying thenovel features of this invention, withthe valve shown in cross section;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sliding valve member employed inthe valve embodied in the system of Figure 1;

Figure 3 illustrates a cross sectional view of an alternative valveconstruction embodying the novelconcepts of this invention; and f Figure4 illustrates diagrammatically"asuitable. thermostatic arrangement forcontrolling the operation ,of the reversing valve. i

Referring to the drawings, like numerals in the various figures will betaken to designate like parts. Figure 1, illustrates a refrigerationsystem including a compressor 10, compressor discharge line 11, a heatexchange coil 12 such as a condenser, expansion means 13, which may beof'a reversibly operable type such, for example, as the illustratedcapillary tube, a heat exchange coil 14 such as an evaporator, andcompressor suction line 15, all interconnected into a continuous circuitcontaining a reversible valve 20 connected in said circuit in a mannerto be made hereinafter more explicit. Direction of refrigera tion flowthrough the system during a cooling cycle is illustrated by the solidarrows; direction of refrigerant flow through the system during aheating cycle is illustrated by the dot and dash arrows.

The valve 20, as shown in Figure 1, comprises a valve housing 21 closedoff at one end by plug 22 having valve seat 23 formed thereon. At itsother end, the housing 21 is provided with union 24 for connection tosuction line 15 of the above disclosed refrigeration system. The innerface of the union 24 has a valve seat 25 thereon. An intake port 26 isarranged in the valve housing connected to the, discharge outlet of thecompressor and two axially spaced ports 27 and 28 are provided one oneach side of inlet port 26. Valve seats 29 and 29 are provided adjacentports 27 and 28 as seen in the drawing. A

I sealed valve body 30 having an axially extending cylinvided. A centralportion of the valve body is provided with circumferentially spacedrings or fianges 33.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrat;

into sealed engagement with valve housing 21, thus'maintaming a hermeticseal whilepermitting movement of 'arm' 35 to move slidable valve member30 from a first position to a second position. An operating arm 39extends from plate 37 and has fastened thereto a conventional ofi-centerspring device 40, as seen in Figure 1. This off-center spring deviceserves to maintain arm 39 in either of two limiting positions to permitvalve member 30 to be maintained in either of its limiting positions.

I The arm 39 may be actuated manually as shown in Figure 1' or, ifdesired, it may be actuated automatically, for example, by means of athermostatic arrangement as shown in Figure 4 in which a bimetallicstrip 40 is linked through link 41 to the end of operating arm 39. i

f The alternative construction illustrated in Figure 3 isessentially'the same as the valve illustrated in Figure 1 exceptthatvalve member 30 is provided with an extension or rod 31 extendingoutwardly through valve housing 21 through an aperture formed in plug22. Boss 36 is thus eliminated. In this construction, a horizontal,sliding, operating rod is shown to move valve 30 from'a first positionto a secondposition.

: The above disclosed construction permits control of l the passageoftherefrigerant as dischargedfrom the compressor alternatively to one orthe other of coils 12 or 14 whereby these coils'will functionalternatively as con denser or evaporator coils respectively, thuspermitting the warming of the ambient atmosphere surrounding thepassageway in the housing 21 to port 27, which functions alternativelyas an intake or discharge port, and in the instant situation is shownfunctioning as a discharge port. The compressed gaseous'refrigerantpasses to heat exchanger 12 which in thissituation functions as acondenser, condensing refrigerant by the discharge of heat to theambient surroundings. Theliquid refrigerant passes through expansionmeans 13 to heat exchanger 14 which functions as an evaporator, therefrigerant removing heat from the ambient surroundings to cool the areain which it is placed. Evaporated refrigerant then passes to port 28 of:valve 20, through a second passageway in the housing 21 formed in partby the bore 31 through sliding member30 and out through union 24-coupledto suction line of the compressor.

When it is desired to exchange the functions of coils 12 and 14, arm 35(Figure 1) or extension 31- (Figure 3) is actuated to move or slidevalve member 30 to a second position, to a right hand position referringto Figures 1 and 3. With valve member 30 in its second position, the hotcompressed gas from the compressor enters valve housing 21 through port26 and follows a passageway therethrough to port 28 which-now serves as.40 coil functioning as the condenser or the cooling of the i an outletor discharge port, the hot gaseous refrigerant:

passing to heat exchange member 14, which now functions as a condenserdischarging heat to the area in which it is placed, the liquidrefrigerant passing through expansion means 13 to heat exchanger 12,which now functions as an evaporator removing, heat from the area inwhich it is placed. Gaseous refrigerant from heat exchanger 12 passes toport 27' of valve 20", through a passageway in housing 21 to union 24and returns to the compressor through suction line 15.

It will be appreciated under some circumstances during a heatingoperation, it may be desirable to provide supplemental means for heatingthe refrigerant to assure that only gaseous refrigerant returns to thecompressor as well as to provide additional heating capacity for thearea being treated.

The positioning of thevalve body as above disclosed, may be accomplishedeither manually or by means of a thermostatic control. It is thus seenthat, dependent on the positioning of the valve body 30, a fixedlypositioned refrigeration unit may be used, as desired, to either heat orcool a given area. The present invention provides a simple, economicalreversing valve for 'use in a refrigeration system to permit thefunctions of the condenser and evaporator to be exchanged to coil or toheat the areas in which they are placed. The valve includes a slidingmember having an'opening therethrough which depending upon'the positionof the member forms a portion of a passageway for refrigerant throughthe valve. Simple seal means are provided for the valve whichhermet1cally seals the valve without interference with its'mechanicaloperation. The valve may be actuated'mechanically' or automatically .asdesired.

The above disclosure has been given byway of 1llus-' tration andelucidation, and not'by way oflimitatiom and it is desired to protectall embodiments of the hereindisclosed inventive concept'within thescope of the appended claims.

1'. In valve construction, the combination of a hous ng having an inlet,an outlet and two ports which funct1on interchangeably as inlet oroutlet ports placed on opposite sides of the inlet, a first valveseatplaced'on one-slde of the inlet between the inlet and one of the twonterchangeableports, a second valve seat placed on the opposite side ofthe inlet between the inlet and the other of the two interchangeableports, a third valve seat placed adjacent the opposite side of one ofthe two interchangeable ports, a fourth valve seat placed ad acent theopposite side of the other of the-two interchangeable ports,

a valve member slidable in said housing having an opening therethroughwhich functions as a portion of a pas-" sageway connecting the firstinterchangeable port and the outlet port when the valve'is in afirst'position seating on the second valve-seat and on the third valveseat, and means to move said valve to a second position to seat on thefirst valve seat and on the fourth valve seat to counect the secondinterchangeable port with the outlet and to connect the inlet with thefirst interchangeable port.

2. Valve construction according to claim 1 in which the valvebody isprovided with peripherally extending recesses, and O-rings are placed inthe recesses to serve as sealing members cooperating with the valveseats.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

